This is a work of fiction. I love getting email so if you would like to contact me you can at taarob@yahoo.com or if you’d like to see some other things that I’ve written you can go to my web site at http://www.mygaystories.com .

From the previous chapter:In the pool I hang up my towel and dive into the clear cool water and start doing my laps. There’s a bunch of people sitting on the bleachers and I haven’t forgotten my promise but I figure that it’ll be more effective if I’m wet.

Somewhere around lap twelve I hear a splash and a little murmur from the gallery but a lot of people use the pool and I don’t think about it but then I become aware of swimming past someone standing next to my lane. Underwater is a pair of green trunks applied to a hard hunky body and I stop to see who it is.

Lionel says, “Hi Eric.”

The Good Doctor 73

Lionel’s brown hair was plastered to his head and the pool water was running off of his tanned heavily muscled chest. He ducked back down into the water so that just his head was sticking out, like me.

He blinked the water out of his eyes looked around and said, “Great pool.”

“You’re a member?” I really need to look at the membership list.

He grinned. “Just joined. I figured if the mountain won’t come to Mohammed…..well, you get the idea.”

I grinned. “The mountain doesn’t come here all that often.” Of course we were talking about Pete.

“His own club and he doesn’t come here?”

“Yeah he does but he’s also got his old club with all his doctor buddies that he likes to go to. And it’s part of the hospital complex so that works for him.”

He shook his head. “They probably wouldn’t lemme in there.”

“You’re stalking him?”

He grinned. “Kinda embarrassing for the mayor to be stalking someone, isn’t it?”

“He still won’t talk to you?”

“Not yet….but he will…and soon.”

“But…”

He interrupted me and nodded to the side of the pool at the group in the bleachers. “That your fan club?”

I sighed. “I guess.”

He smiled. “I saw the book. We should all have problems like that.”

“You saw it too?”

“Eric, everyone in this town has seen it. And I hate to break this to ya but you’re probably gonna get a visit from the television station pretty damn soon.”

“Whadya mean?”

“They were headed this way. They were leaving city hall when I was.”

“Oh shit! Now? You’re kidding!”

Just then David practically ran into the pool area, waving his arms to get my attention. I swam over to the side of the pool.

“Dad there’s TV people here!!!” He was gesturing wildly back in the direction of the office. “They got cameras and everything!” He looked around like he couldn’t believe it was happening. “You’re gonna be a star!!! You know, I knew, the first time I saw you in a Speedo, I knew!!!” It occurred to me that to get to the locker room and my pants that I had to walk right past the front desk where the TV people would be.

I started to tell David to tell them that I wasn’t here but then I thought, “Fuck it!”

I looked at Lionel and said, “I guess I gotta talk to em. I’ll see ya later.” I held out my hand to David and he pulled me up.

Lionel laughed and shook his head. “No way pal, I’m goin with you!”

“You! What for? Stay in the pool, enjoy yourself.”

He hoisted himself up onto the edge of the pool. “Hey, I’m a politician, we’re all media whores. I can’t pass up a TV camera.”

I grabbed a towel and dried off a bit and then wrapped the towel around my waist.

Lionel grabbed the towel and said, “Hey don’t do that. They came here to see you in a Speedo and maybe if they get a shot of that they’ll leave you alone.”

Somehow that didn’t sound right but what do I know about television. “You think?”

“Absolutely!” He gestured towards my bathing suit and said, “They’ll get some of that cute little butt of yours on tape and that’ll be the end of it.” Okay, that made me feel a little cheap. And why is he calling my butt cute? I mean not that it isn’t.

“But…..”

He grabbed my hand and started pulling me towards the front desk.

I said, “You’re sure this is gonna work?” Why does everyone on earth have longer legs than me? It felt like we were running!

“Eric, I deal with the media all the time and they just need to fill a little air time. Believe me this’ll put an end to it. And besides I’ll be right there if anything comes up.”

“What could come up?”

“Nothing, now come on!” He practically dragged me to the front desk.

A second later a well dressed grey haired guy who looked like he was approaching orgasm was shoving a microphone in my face and asking me how it felt to be an object of desire.

“Well I don’t really think of myself as a……”

Suddenly Lionel draped his arm across my shoulders and in an almost embarrassingly intimate gesture pulled me against his body. Basically my head was practically tucked under his chin and before I could react he said, “Eric and I are learning to live with the fame.”

David and I both yelled, “What?!” at the same time.

The TV guy looked shocked and started to say something but Lionel pushed out his hand towards him and said, “We really don’t have anything more to say.”

I looked up at Lionel and said, “Are you fucking nuts!!!??”

Lionel quickly turned me and squashed my face against his chest, which pretty much put his nipple in my mouth. I was startled enough to resist the urge to either suck or bite and he yelled at the TV people, “You’re gonna have to go now!” Then he grabbed me and jerked me through the door and down the hallway towards the locker room. Basically my feet were dug into the carpet and he was pulling me forward like a dog that didn’t want to go for his walk while the TV people were yelling, “Mr. Mayor! Mr. Mayor!”

As the door slammed shut putting us out of earshot of the TV crew I was finally able to grab onto a fire extinguisher bolted to the wall and I wrenched out of his hands.

I screamed, “ARE YOU FUCKING CRAZY!!???”

Lionel’s shoulders dropped and he sighed. He titled his head to the side and said, “You know, you really have a potty mouth.”

I was practically jumping up and down. “Pete sees this on television and he is going to remove your tongue through your ear!!!”

Lionel grinned and shook his head. “He won’t hurt me. I know, I know, at first he’s gonna be tempted but deep deep down he knows that I’m his best friend and he’s not gonna do it.” He looked down for a moment and then back up into my eyes. “We were like brothers…before I fucked it up and no matter how mad he gets he won’t hit me.”

“Yeah, well how about the fact that now all of the voters are gonna think that you’re gay? Not to mention your wife!”

He leaned against the wall of the hallway. “Eric, this is one of the most liberal towns in Connecticut. If they thought I was gay it’d probably be a plus. And as far as my wife is concerned, she definitely knows better.”

I caught my breath and sighed. “Look, I know by the way that he’s resisting this that it’d be good for him……I’ll do what I can.”

I got home about four o’clock and for the moment at least all the balls were still in the air and hadn’t come crashing down. I couldn’t imagine Pete watching TV while he was working so I was pretty sure that I was safe for the moment.

My chin was on my hand and my hand was on the kitchen table. I was kneeling on the floor. Jase’s face was right next to mine but he was sitting on a chair.

Jase said softly, “It looks okay, doesn’t it?” In the background my mom yelled at me to sit in a chair like a normal person. We ignored her.

Jase’s hands were under his chin too. His index finger stretched out and pointed at the tall pieces of cardboard. “See Dad, that’s the Sears tower!”

My mom yelled, “Jason’s making Godzilla eating Chicago, for school. But I gotta go fix dinner for your father and make some lasagna for the club.” She came over and pointed at a cutout of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. “It’s gotta be accurate! You can’t just make stuff up.” Yeah right, like Godzilla was a historical figure.

In front of us on the kitchen table was a two foot square piece of heavy cardboard with other pieces of cardboard sticking up, obviously intended to represent the city of Chicago.

I said softly to Jase, “Why’s he eating Chicago?”

Jase’s took his finger and pressed it against the back of my hand like he was checking for doneness. “He already ate Milwaukee…and he’s still hungry.”

I touched the Sears Tower. “Eating the Sears tower would have to hurt. All those steel girders and glass.”

Jase shook his head and in a little boy voice said, “Un uh. He likes the crunch. It’s like potato chips when you’re Godzilla.” I must have looked skeptical because he added, “Grandma said so.”

“Want me to help you color?”

He pointed a crayon at me. “My teacher said that parents can give advice but you can’t actually do it. Like you could suggest that I color the dinosaur a certain color but I gotta do it. And you can’t tell me to do too much stuff or it’s cheating. We’re supposed to do it ourselves.” He looked at me like he wasn’t quite sure that I’d be able to follow that.

“Gotcha. So how far along are you?”

“I’m pretty much done but I gotta glue the dinosaur so that he stands up.” The T-rex was basically just a drawing that had been cut out.

On her way out my mom stopped and said, “There’s Scaloppine Bolognese but you gotta reheat it if you wait for Pete and you gotta make the pasta.” She started to turn but then stopped and said, “Don’t eat it outta the pan! Make a meal like a human being. And don’t reheat it in the microwave. It does something to the molecules.” I don’t know where she gets this. Women have got so many rules.

My mom looked at Jase sitting at the table and then back at me. “Walk me to my car.” Uh oh. This means a private conversation, my least favorite kind. This has to be about that stupid book.

My mother packed up her two shopping bags and we headed for the car. I’m not really sure what’s in these bags but she’s always got two of em when she gets here and two when she leaves. Maybe she’s smuggling pots and pans.

After I loaded up my mom’s van and got her buckled in I sat next to her in the front seat.

She fidgeted for awhile and then said, “Eleanor and I were looking at your book.”

I put my foot up on the dashboard but she leaned over and swatted it down. “Ow! It’s not my book Ma! I told you about this when the guy took the pictures originally. He wasn’t supposed to do this and the only reason I let him take any pictures was for the kid’s college fund.”

“Eric, I just don’t want you to start doing porn.” Oh my God!

“Ma, there is nothing pornographic in those pictures! Why on earth would you even think that?”

She turned in her seat and put her hand on my arm. “It’s just that….well, it’s just that your grandfather had some problems in that area. And you’re so much….”

“Grandpa did porn??!!!!!” Holy shit!

She turned and looked straight ahead. “A little.”

This was mind blowing and I was developing a whole new level of respect for Gramps. “When you say porn, what exactly are you talking about? I mean did he do movies?”

My mother actually looked shocked. “Of course not! How could you even think that? He was your grandfather!”

“Well, Ma, you’re the one who sprang this on me! So what did he do then?”

“Eric, you’ve got to understand. Your grandfather was, well, kind of a free spirit. He always seemed to be out ahead of everyone else….well, in some ways. Anyway, he apparently met some woman over by New Haven who was an artist and well, he was a very handsome man and like you…well, he had this…look…like you.”

“Whadya mean a “look?”

She looked at me started to speak and then stopped. She shook her head. “Eric, I don’t know how else to put this but you look like you’re about to sin! Always! I mean it’s not your fault, you inherited it. He was the same way. I think it’s in your eyes.”

I flipped down the visor and looked in the mirror. “My eyes? My eyes look normal!”

She put her hand on my arm and shook her head. “No they don’t.”

“Whadya mean they don’t? You know, nobody else ever told me about this! Are you sure that you’re not like….having an attack or something? At your age you gotta be…..”

“ERIC! I am NOT having an attack of ANY kind! I’m just trying to explain!” She stopped for a moment and then took a deep breath. “I want to make sure…absolutely sure, that you don’t end up doing some of the things that he did.”

I grinned at her. “Okay, so I’ve got Grandpa’s porn gene but Ma, so far nobody has asked me about doing anything with it.” I arched an eyebrow. “As far as nudity is concerned….I’ll do it if it’s necessary to the plot.” I decided not to tell her what happened with the mayor. After all, maybe she’d never see it on the news and even if she did it wasn’t like she could blame me. But I did need something to get her off my back.

“So, apart from her shock at seeing my pictures, how’s Eleanor?”

“She’s in pain! She fell and hurt…well…her butt.”

I couldn’t help it, I grinned. She yelled, “Eric, stop smiling! She may need an operation!”

“Ahhhhh you mean, like a buttectomy?”

“Eric!”

When I went back into the house Jase, who had wandered into the family room and had been watching television, turned around and had a little boy death grip on the front of his pants.

He looked down at the front of his pants for a second. “No! I gotta pee but I got a question too.”

I pointed towards the bathroom. “Pee first, question later.”

He kinda bounced up and down. “Okay but come with.”

I kinda remember this from being his age, the desire for company in the bathroom.

While Jase was standing in front of the toilet peeing he asked, “Dad, how come boys stand up when they pee and girls sit down?”

“Howdya know girls sit down?”

“Mary Elizabeth told me. She said boys are too stupid to sit down.”

“She said that?”

“Uh huh. I told her to shut up.”

“What did she say to that?”

“She said that she didn’t mean me, just other boys.”

“Just other boys, huh?” I mumbled, “The baby Impala walks trembling through the tall grass as the lioness gets ready to spring.”

Jase looks up at me bewildered. “Baby Impala’s? We got a baby Impala?”

“There are no baby Impala’s, Jase, I was just talking to myself.”

“Grandma says that only crazy people talk to themselves.”

“Put your penis back in your pants, Jase.”

Now my problem was to defuse Pete before he saw the news and reached critical mass and fortunately now that I knew that I had the porn gene I figured that I might as well use it. I kept an eye out for his car and the moment I saw him turn into our street I headed for our bedroom. I passed Jase sitting in the family room watching TV and told him, “I gotta change clothes, tell Pete I’m in the bedroom.” He had a dazed look on his face as he stared at a kids program but he gave a slight nod of his head and I knew he had heard.

I’ve noticed that there’s a certain state of undress that drives Pete pretty much bonkers, although I’m not really sure why. Although does it really matter? We’ve all got stuff like this, stuff that means nothing to anyone else but really gets us going. With Pete it’s me naked except for a sleeveless white T shirt that is a little bit too short. The hem of it comes just to the top of the curve of my butt. And while Pete was pulling into our driveway I was stripping off everything and then pulling on that T shirt.

I looked at myself in the bathroom mirror and I didn’t figure that I really saw what he did but then, so what. I was running a comb through my hair when I heard the bedroom door open and close and then a second later I heard him making a soft growling sound in his throat as his right hand came gently up under my chin and held it as his left hand slid down my butt and between my cheeks.

His voice was soft. “I wish you dressed like this all the time!” I looked at him in the mirror and his hair had dropped down onto his forehead.

I pretended to be surprised. “T shirts turn you on?”

He kissed me behind my right ear and whispered, “If you’re doing this to get me to agree to something the answer’s yes.”